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Amazon Offers Buy Now, Pay Later Kindle Plan

Amazon is offering would-be buyers of its Kindle Fire HDX tablet the option to pay in four installments. The plan doesn't include any interest or added fees.

The plan only applies to the Kindle Fire HDX, the most expensive version of the Kindle. Ordinarily it costs $229 for the 7-inch version or $379 for the 8.9-inch version.

Under the terms of the deal, you pay 25 per cent of the purchase price up-front. That's $57.25 for the 7-inch version and $94.75 for the 8.9-inch version.

You'll also pay any applicable sales taxes and shipping. At the time of writing, the deal was only available to US customers. (Source: cnet.com)

After this, you'll pay three more installments (each for a further 25 per cent of the price), with one installment every three months. The payment is automatically charged to the credit card linked to your account.

Miss A Payment, Lose Your Content

If you don't make the remaining payments -- for example, if you close your Amazon account or cancel the credit card you used to make the purchase -- Amazon retains the right to de-register the tablet.

That means any Kindle apps on the device will stop working and you'll lose access to any Amazon content you've bought on it, such as books, movies, or music.

Though it might seem odd that Amazon should offer such a deal and charge no fees or interest, it makes sense given its business plan. The Kindle Fire HDX isn't sold at a profit and some experts suggest it may even be sold at a slight loss.

Instead of making money on the device, Amazon hopes that it will make cash from Kindle Fire HDX owners choosing to buy content from the online Amazon store.

Gadget Can Be Given As Gift

It is possible to take advantage of the deal and give the tablet to somebody else. The device comes automatically set up for your Amazon account, but you can de-register it and have the recipient register it for their own account.

One downside to this set-up is that you won't be able to buy and add any content to the Kindle before handing it over.

Reviews of the Kindle Fire HDX have been mixed. Most industry experts say it is good value given the specifications, which is a result of Amazon not looking to make any profit on it.

However, while the HDX runs the Android system, it doesn't include access to the full Google Play store unless you modify it through a complex process.

This means the range of apps available is somewhat limited, meaning the tablet is more suited to people who will be using it to access the web and play media files. (Source: techradar.com)